The presidents of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey will be meeting in Azerbaijan for a summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States.

The leaders are traveling to Qabala on August 16, some 200 kilometers north of the capital, where the summit is being held.

The country's foreign ministers are meeting on August 15.

Ramil Hasanov, the Azerbaijani secretary-general of the parliamentary assembly of the Turkic-speaking countries, said the summit was expected to discuss the potential formation of a free-trade zone among the member states.

The grouping is devoted to preserving the language and culture of Turkic-speaking countries and promoting political, economic, and cultural cooperation.